It is well to go away at times, that we may see another aspect of human life, which still survives in the East, and to feel that influence which led even the Christ into the wilderness to prepare for the struggle with the animal nature of man.
We need something of the experience of the anchorites of Egypt to impress us with the great truth that the distinction between the spiritual and the material remains broad and clear, even if with the scalpel of our modern philosophy we can not completely dissect the two; and this experience will give us courage to cherish our aspirations, keep bright our hopes, and hold fast our Christian faith until the consummation comes.
My young friends, there are many who will tell you that the Sphinx has merely propounded a riddle to the ages; and that the yearnings of your young lives—like those of the early Egyptians, who set up this memorial of their hopes—are merely a delusion and a snare.
Do not believe in any such pessimism.
It is merely the dying gasp of your animal nature! But give your utmost efforts that these aspirations be not smothered by the cares and trials which must come to you as they come to all.
Have faith in the Eternal who implanted those cravings in your nature; and remember that all knowledge rests on the assurance that the Eternal can not be false. Be loyal to the truth of that witness in your hearts, and advancing years will only bring you increased reliance on the promises he ever whispers to those who trust him; and he will certainly lead you, at last—as he has led the faithful in all ages—into the clear light of the perfect day.
My fellow-students, if these fleeting pictures of scenes which have given me fresh courage, shall aid any of you in the conflict of life, my object in these lectures will be gained, and however incongruous with the associations of physical science such scenes may have appeared, you will bear me witness that the great lesson they teach has constantly been enforced in this place. The spiritual life of man recognizes its exalted intellectual likeness in the life of Nature, and it is this vision of the Omniscient which distinguishes and ennobles mental culture, whether it be in the fields of science, of literature, or of art.